The U.S. Department of State has confirmed that Victor Lynn Lovelady, 57, a Nederland native, is among 37 hostages who died in the terrorist seizure and ensuing special forces assault on an natural gas plant in Algeria.

Five other hostages are missing from the In Amenas complex and could be dead, Prime Minister Abdul Malek Sallal said.

The family of a Nederland man taken hostage by Islamist militants at a gas plant where he’s working in Algeria tells KFDM News they received a call from the State Department on Friday indicating he is “alive and well.”

There are reports from Algeria that some of the hostages and militants died when Algerian forces tried to free the hostages in a Thursday raid on the plant.

“We got a call from the State Department that he’s alive and well,” a family member of the hostage told KFDM News Friday morning. “They called about 7 a.m. Friday. A representative called me and his wife. He’s alive and well. He’s not on the list of those who are deceased. The family feels better but we won’t rest easy until he’s home.”

KFDM News isn’t releasing the man’s name because his family says the State Department representative told them that doing so could jeopardize his safety while he remains a hostage.